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Sodexo Live! focused on vegetable-forward small plates, like this Pumpkin Muhammara, a smoky Middle Eastern dip served with pita chips.
Oats at breakfast are gluten-free.” This is the fourth Chase Sapphire Lounge menu Sodexo Live! has de- veloped, and two choices—the Sap- phire Burger and Sapphire Noodles with smoked tofu and shiitake mush- rooms—are core items at the clubs in Boston, Austin, Texas, and Hong Kong. But everything else on the scratch- made menu is exclusive to the LaGuar- dia lounge. The variety is impressive, covering global dishes like Pumpkin Muham- mara with smoked paprika and pita chips to Korean fried chicken bites with ponzu glaze, and an all-American Grilled Cheese Melt made on brioche, with cheddar, pistachio and honey. The beverage menu includes locally inspired cocktails crafted by Apotheke, a trendsetting bar based in New York City. These include the Crosswind (a mix of vodka, matcha, Lillet, cham- pagne and fruit flavors); the Red Eye (a riff on an espresso martini) and The Blackburn’s Sour—all exclusive to the Chase lounge at LaGuardia. “The Blackburn’s Sour is named af- ter the first passenger to land at LaGuar- dia airport,” said Nicolas O’Connor, beverage director for Apotheke. “There was also a Captain Blackburn who was one of the early pilots, so the drink has a colorful history.” The cocktail is a mix of two types of rum, blackberry, rasp-
berry, acai, ginger and lime with pea shoots for garnish. Apotheke also developed the Sap- phire cocktail, a signature at all the Sap- phire lounges. The drink gets its blue hue from blueberry mixed with vodka and Asian flavors, dusted with bee pol- len and pearl dust. The drinks list is rounded out with the vodka-based Bloodhound, mez- cal-forward La Puerta and bourbon Viaggiare. Plus, there’s a full wine list curated by Parcelle, a New York City wine bar. The upper level of the space—a.k.a. “The Perch”—is designed with private bookable rooms and dedicated atten- dants. The LaGuardia lounge is the first
to offer these Reserve Suites by Chase, where travelers can order caviar service and menu items from Jeffrey’s Grocery, another Happy Cooking restaurant. Hyde Park Hospitality is the Chica- go-based partner for all front-of-house staffing and management. For travelers who may not be hun- gry or thirsty, the lounge offers several wellness rooms with amenities that in- clude facials and meditation. Also on the premises is a kids’ playroom and game room with a retro jukebox and pinball machine. The Chase Sapphire Lounges are located post-security in Terminal B at LaGuardia and in Terminal 5 at JFK In- ternational airports.
The Blackburn's Sour (center). a cocktail steeped in history, is one of the drinks created by Apotheke. On the right is the lounge's signature Sapphire.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF PATRICIA COBE
Q1 2024
FSD QUARTERLY
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